2026 Trustee Elections and Candidate Statements
The Society of Research Software Engineering is holding its annual Trustee elections for 2026.
In this blog post, we will outline the process and introduce you to the candidates.
- Voting will open on Monday 27th July 2026.
- Voting will close at 23:59 BST on Sunday 23rd August 2026.
All valid members at the moment of polling will be emailed instructions to vote, including their personal voting token. Please follow the link in the email to access the voting form.
The Election
We have 5 trustees standing down at the AGM this year. We received 6 applications for the 5 available slots, so we are holding a competitive election.
Voting will be conducted online, the votes will be counted and verified by our scrutineers, and results will be announced at the AGM.
- The AGM will take place during RSECon26 on Thursday 10th September.
Candidate Statements
The following candidates have nominated themselves. Please read the candidate statements carefully before casting your vote.
Their status as Society members and their eligibility to stand have been verified, and their nominations have been seconded by other Society members.
Thank you to every candidate for nominating themselves and for their dedication to the research software community. Thanks also to the people who seconded these nominations and to our scrutineers for their assistance in the election process.
The candidates standing for election are (in random order):
Mike Simpson
Newcastle University
1) Why do you want to be a trustee of the Society?
I have been an RSE (in all but name) for over a decade, and have been part of this amazing community for most of that time. It has been a wonderful experience, and I am committed to continuing to support the Society and its mission.
I’ve been a trustee for three years, having previously been involved with the conference committee. I have found being involved with this community to be an incredibly rewarding experience, which has shaped my personal and professional growth and given me so many incredible opportunities. I want to continue to be involved and give back to this community for as long as I can. There are also various initiatives that I have been involved with that I want to see come to fruition, including exciting new benefits and opportunities for the Society’s members.
If re-elected, I plan to build upon my experience as Vice-President and stand for President. Having worked with the various sub-teams in my time as trustee, I understand the workings of the organisation and what is required to keep the Society running. I intend to use my experience to lead the trustees through the next phase of the Society’s future.
2) Which of the current activities that the Society engages in are you best suited to help with?
I’ve already had some experience in leading trustee meetings, conducting votes online and offline, and in chairing discussions and making difficult decisions. I’ve worked with various different teams over the last three years, including the governance team in my role as Vice-President, so I feel that I will be able to provide guidance, institutional memory and support in many areas.
I also have experience of what it takes to “keep the lights on”; all the day-to-day activities that keep the Society running, annual reports, our obligations to the Charity Commission and so on. I’ve represented the Society at different events and at various meetings and advisory boards. All of this experience has prepared me to continue to be involved in the governance of the Society and put myself forward for the role of President.
3) What can you bring to the role of trustee that would be useful in running the Society?I have served as a trustee for the last three years and have previously been on the conference organising committee. This has included involvement in various Society teams, including membership, events, elections and comms. We are facing difficult and uncertain times, and having some continuity and institutional knowledge will be important moving forward. We’ve faced some difficult decisions over the last few years, which have given me experience and insights that will equip me to help the trustees tackle any upcoming challenges.
I know how much time and commitment is required, and I want to take advantage of the fact that I am at a stage in my career where I have enough time to dedicate to the Society.
I’ve also had the opportunity to learn from Dave and other colleagues during my time as trustee and Vice-President. I feel like I have knowledge and experience of how the Society currently works, what could be improved and what to focus on in the future, so that we can continue to work with the community to keep pushing the RSE movement forward.
4) What do you hope to get out of being a trustee for the Society?
Being a trustee has helped me to grow, become more confident, and gain experience in management and leadership. I’ve also had the privilege of working alongside some wonderful people, and I look forward to more great collaborations and learning from other leaders from our community. I hope that continuing to be involved in the Society will help me with networking and career development by giving me opportunities that I cannot get in my day job. I also hope that I can continue to push the Society’s goals forward and help implement/improve upon various initiatives that will benefit our members and the research software community.
I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to give back to this incredible Community, while ensuring that the Society continues to be a diverse, robust and impactful voice for RSEs in the UK and around the world.
I would also like to meet a much broader subset of the RSE community and to develop my interpersonal and organizational skills within a markedly different structure from those previously experience.
Ryan Pepper
Autodesk Research
1) Why do you want to be a trustee of the Society?
I studied originally for a PhD in computational physics and was involved with helping to deliver Software Carpentry workshops at the University of Southampton, which was my first taste of the RSE world. Apart from a brief stint at the University of Birmingham where I was a Senior RSE, I have largely worked doing core RSE type work, but in an industrial setting, and with a variety of job titles that don’t fully reflect that.
I am putting myself forward as a trustee because my experience has been that there is a vast cohort of people in industry who are doing fundamental RSE work – building robust, high-performance scientific software, optimising algorithms, and translating complex physics or data science software into production-grade code. Indeed, in the early RSE days, people in academia often pointed at industry development as ‘best practices’ that they wanted to replicate when writing software. However, the formalisation of RSE work in academia has taken it’s own path which I think is readily applicable to research work in industry and there are mutual lessons to be learnt. Currently, my feeling is that the Society has relatively limited engagement with this demographic of potential members and I would hope that through being a trustee I could help to facilitate more engagement and be a ‘champion’ for members in industry.
2) Which of the current activities that the Society engages in are you best suited to help with?
I think that I’d be best suited to Web and Infrastructure role due to a history of working on external facing customer websites, aside from the normal trustee duties. I have experience working with both frontend, backend and infrastructure as code (Terraform, Kubernetes) which I believe would allow making a useful contribution to the society’s public and private platform.
3) What can you bring to the role of trustee that would be useful in running the Society?
I believe that through having worked both in an academic RSE position and then in similar roles in industry I am well suited to being able to provide a unique and balanced perspective on both settings. I understand the core mission of the society on the ground in the academic environment – helping academics with learning tools, writing more robust software, packaging and publishing functional code and in general helping to just do better research. In industry I have similarly gained significant first hand experience of translating early-stage research code into polished commercial products and open-source releases. Additionally, I am well-versed in High-Performance Computing (HPC) and cloud architecture. Developing and shaping scalable infrastructure is a large part of my current role, and this technical alignment is the primary reason I have tried to remain engaged with the Society while working in industry.
4) What do you hope to get out of being a trustee for the Society?
I would like to broaden my professional skills in advocacy and in helping to build communities. I think by championing the role of ‘industrial RSEs’ as a trustee, I would be able to add value to the society and to people doing this role in industry, and influence and broaden how the profession is viewed and positively advocate for the role of an RSE wherever the setting.
Christine Stawitz
University of Birmingham
1) Why do you want to be a trustee of the Society?
I’ve been working on a project to better define career and promotion pathways for RSEs for the last few months. As part of this, I’ve learned how instrumental the RSE Society has been in connecting RSEs and other digital research technical professionals to each other. These connections across institutions are crucial to advocating for better and more extensive career progression and leadership opportunities. I feel that I would be more effective, both within RSESoc and my own institution, at advocating for career sustainability and growth as a trustee. I’ve also witnessed through my experience on this project and as part of the programme team how much support RSESoc gives to support communities that otherwise wouldn’t be able to exist. Supporting these communities is really important work that I would like to be a part of.
2) Which of the current activities that the Society engages in are you best suited to help with?
I’d be interested in supporting equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility efforts, serving as Secretary or Vice President, or supporting groups such as the regional SIGs or Policy and Funding Working Group.
3) What can you bring to the role of trustee that would be useful in running the Society?
I’ve served on the conference committee for 2026 (talks & workshops team member). I’m skilled at both project management and communication. I’ve been a line manager for three years and have learned a lot about leadership, coordination, and strategy through that experience. I’ve contributed to web accessibility testing and fixes in both my current and previous role.
4) What do you hope to get out of being a trustee for the Society?
I’m interested in meeting and collaborating with RSEs across institutions and countries. I would like to grow my facilitation, communication, and organisation skills. I’m grateful to the RSE Society for supporting our careers and would like to give back my time to support the society whenever possible.
Laura Crawford
Rosalind Franklin Institute
1) Why do you want to be a trustee of the Society?
I would like to become a trustee because the Society plays an important role in giving Research Software Engineers visibility, community and a shared professional identity, and I would like to help sustain that work.
The Society represents a professional space that has shaped how I understand my own career. RSEs often work between research, software, infrastructure, training, service delivery and collaboration, but that work can still be difficult to describe, evidence and recognise within traditional academic or technical structures. I have benefited from the growing clarity and confidence the RSE community has created around this role, and I would like to contribute back to the organisation that supports and advocates for that community.
Putting myself forward feels like a natural next step in contributing more actively to the wider RSE community, beyond the conference.
2) Which of the current activities that the Society engages in are you best suited to help with?
I would be best suited to supporting the Society’s Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility work. This is the area where I can most directly contribute to the Society’s role in creating an inclusive, accessible and representative professional community for RSEs.
I would also be interested in supporting finance or vice treasurer activity. This would allow me to contribute to the Society’s governance and sustainability, while developing further experience in charity finance, budgeting and organisational decision-making.
A further area where I could contribute is web and infrastructure, particularly where this overlaps with accessibility, documentation, sustainable systems and practical support for Society operations.
3) What can you bring to the role of trustee that would be useful in running the Society?
I would bring experience of working across technical delivery, governance, community engagement and organisational change.
As a Research Software Engineer at the Rosalind Franklin Institute, I work across research infrastructure, software, data services and user support. This has given me practical experience of balancing technical needs with policy, sustainability, documentation and service delivery. I am used to working with different stakeholders, translating between technical and non-technical perspectives, and helping turn broad requirements into practical processes.
I would also bring experience of community and committee work. I co-chair the RFI EDI Committee, have contributed to EDIA work through RSECon and wider research software/community groups, and have worked on inclusive events, communications, accessibility and impact-focused planning. This would be useful in supporting the Society to make its activities welcoming, representative and accessible.
Through my NFCS NetworkPlus project, I have acted as PI for grant-funded work involving consultation across multiple organisations, budget and resource decisions, workshop design, reporting and strategic recommendations. This has strengthened my ability to manage work transparently, gather evidence, and build consensus across groups with different priorities.
I would bring a practical, collaborative and reflective approach to the trustee role. I am comfortable contributing both to strategic discussions and to the operational work needed to keep community organisations effective.
4) What do you hope to get out of being a trustee for the Society?
I would hope to gain a deeper understanding of how a professional society is governed and sustained, particularly one that represents a developing and still-evolving professional community.
I am especially interested in learning more about charity governance, trustee responsibilities, financial oversight and strategic decision-making. I would value the opportunity to understand how the Society balances practical delivery, community needs, long-term sustainability and advocacy for the RSE profession.
I would also hope to broaden my perspective beyond my own institution and projects. Working with trustees from different backgrounds would help me better understand the range of challenges facing RSEs across career stages, sectors, disciplines and types of organisation. That broader perspective would be valuable both for my contribution to the Society and for my own development as someone moving towards more strategic research infrastructure and community leadership roles.
More generally, I would like to develop my confidence contributing at board level, supporting collective decisions, and helping turn community priorities into practical, sustainable activity.
Stephen Thompson
UCL
1) Why do you want to be a trustee of the Society?
I have been writing research software for over 20 years, and working as an RSE for at least 10 years. I have been a reasonably passive member but avid supporter of the Society for much of that time. For the first time in my career I am in a position both professionally (stable RSE position with supportive employer) and personally (children becoming more independent) to commit time to a more active role in the society.
The role of RSE is key to creating reproducible, accessible, and open science, and the Society plays a central role in developing and promoting RSE roles in the UK. I am also an admirer of the Society’s long standing commitment to inclusively and accessibility. For me, RSE Society organised events have consistently set the benchmark for their welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.
I want to make a positive contribution to the Society’s continuing work in supporting people performing the role of RSE, particularly those who may not yet have RSE in their job description. It is common for many RSEs to begin their development within another role (often as a postdoc, but not always) with limited knowledge of the RSE career pathway. I am particularly interested in increasing the Society’s reach beyond the main academic centres, whilst recognising that these centres are key to the success of the Society due to their access to resources.
The role of RSE is rapidly evolving as new software tools are developed. The ability for anyone to generate large code bases from minimal prompts, means that the role of the RSE in understanding and promoting good software practice has never been more important. As an experienced RSE I have seen many changes over my career, and I believe I have the knowledge and wisdom to separate the changing technologies we use from the unchanging engineering good practice that underpins our role.
2) Which of the current activities that the Society engages in are you best suited to help with?
I am well suited to and experienced in administrative and financial roles, having served terms as chair of governors within a local primary school and as treasurer for local sporting clubs and community organisations. I would be comfortable doing any of the tasks listed under the treasurer/vice – treasurer roles, or membership management.
I would also be comfortable with web and infrastructure work, being an experienced RSE. I would be willing to help on any role where the society has a skills shortage, though would probably be weakest in the communications and publicity roles.
3) What can you bring to the role of trustee that would be useful in running the Society?
I am an experienced administrator of community organisations, having served as treasurer for sporting clubs and school fundraising groups. I also sat on the board of governors at my local school for several years and as chair for around 3 years. In these roles I have demonstrated skills in financial management and reporting, making sure that committees and governing boards can make well informed decisions on spending priorities. I have also developed and demonstrated communication skills, ensuring that the wider community are consulted with when making sometimes difficult decisions.
I have experience in handling very difficult situations as chair of school governors, helping to steer a small school during difficult financial times. This involved forming partnerships with neighbouring schools in order to maintain funds for core teaching activities. This required gaining consensus across two governing boards with diverse views and sometimes competing interests. It also involved frequent consultation with the wider school community. Although ultimately unsuccessful (the school is now part of an academy chain) I am proud to say the school’s quality of education was maintained (or improved) and the wider community remained supportive throughout.
In all my voluntary roles I have been passionate about supporting diversity and inclusion. This has involved careful development and review of policies to ensure that ingrained assumptions do not prevent participation and that all voices are able to be heard during consultations. I am currently trying to reform the membership system at my local cricket club to ensure that people are not dissuaded by upfront or opaque membership fees.
I also bring my professional skills as an experienced and practising RSE, which are many and varied. I have worked in industry and academia, with experience in research, research software engineering and teaching.
4) What do you hope to get out of being a trustee for the Society?
I am interested in continuing to develop my skills in developing and building communities. Since its inception the Society has set a high benchmark for inclusively. RSECon has consistently stood out for me as a welcoming and thoughtfully organised event. Serving as a trustee would be a good opportunity for me to learn and develop best practice in EDIA.
I would also like to learn more about (and contribute to) the society’s membership and financial management tools which may be useful in my other voluntary roles. I am also interested in developing my understanding of the requirements of working as a trustee for a registered charity.
Professionally, I am interested in using the role of trustee to advance my own career at UCL, by further developing my network of collaborators, and learning different ways of working from other RSE professionals.
Isabel Fenton
The Alan Turing Institute
1) Why do you want to be a trustee of the Society?
I have been a member of SocRSE since 2023, and I have been to RSECon every year since then. I really enjoy these conferences, the interesting talks and getting to meet so many friendly people. I have also been a mentee through the SocRSE scheme which I found really useful. I know from previous experience, how much hard work goes in to keeping things running in a society of this kind, and how it relies on people being willing to volunteer for roles. Having got a lot from the society I would like to give something back.
2) Which of the current activities that the Society engages in are you best suited to help with?
I would be particularly interested in working in the treasurer role. I have some experience relevant to this role, as I was the treasurer of our student union as a PhD student at the postgraduate Imperial campus of Silwood Park. I have also gained indirect relevant experience since then through several other committee positions I have held. However, if I am elected, I would be happy to help in whatever role is needed.
3) What can you bring to the role of trustee that would be useful in running the Society?
In the SocRSE community, I am currently the deputy of the Geoscience SIG (Special Interest Group), where I have helped set up the SIG, and organise a very successful BoF at last year’s RSECon. This has given me some insight into how SocRSE works. More generally, throughout my working life I have served in a variety of positions on committees, including helping to organise conferences. I am also currently a trustee of my local choir. Over this time I have gained a breadth of experience that I think would be helpful for a role as a SocRSE trustee, such as how societies like SocRSE work, what the role of a trustee entails, and some of the challenges associated with this sort of role for a large society.
4) What do you hope to get out of being a trustee for the Society?
If I were elected, I am sure I would gain a wide range of skills and experiences. However, I am specifically hoping to learn skills from taking responsibility for decisions in my particular area, whether that is as a treasurer or another trustee position. I would also appreciate working with other RSEs from a range of backgrounds, and learning from their experiences.
Thank you for reading
Thank you again to all of the nominees for putting their names forward to support the Society.
Instructions will be sent via email to everyone who is a Society member on Monday 27th July, when the voting instructions will be sent out. This email will include a link to the form and a voting token, which must be submitted on the form when you vote.
The Elections working group chair for 2026 is: Samantha Ahern
